DIY half term: Half hour spa – Cellulite-fighting coffee scrub

Hard working mums, assemble! Found yourself with 30 unadulterated kid-free minutes this half term? Fantastic. Our Half-hour Spa series is formulated to make the most of your time and the most of what you have in your cupboards.

Following on from our Body Smoothie post is this skin-plumping, cellulite-fighting scrub. Whilst we’ll never be ashamed of our lumps and bumps, it’s always nice to take time to pamper problem areas, and this caffeine-fuelled creation will do just that.

Cellulite-fighting Coffee Scrub

This recipe is so simple we could we make it with our eyes closed, but we’re not going to – because that would be silly! Our super speedy DIY scrub is formulated to stimulate the skin cells on any dimple-heavy areas of your skin. The best news? You can store it in an airtight jar to use on a later date!

Before we start, here’s the low-down on our three wonder ingredients:

Ground coffee: sadly, you can’t cheat and use instant here – it has to be the ground, cafetiere type stuff. “Why coffee!?” we hear you cry. Easy: caffeine, when applied topically to your skin, boosts blood flow and circulation, helping cell regeneration. The grainy texture of the coffee grounds also acts as a natural exfoliant, helping to buff your skin and make it softer.

Olive oil: oils are a fantastic, natural way to add moisture to your skin. As well as being loaded with antioxidant benefits, olive oil helps permeate through the layers of skin allowing your concoction to penetrate deeper, and leaving your skin softer for longer.

Sea salt: when used in large quantities, salt can dry out your skin. However, by adding a small amount to your scrub, you’ll up the ex-foliating capacity and also help detox your skin, as sea salt is a natural detoxifier. When in contact with the skin, it absorbs the toxins that routinely get deposited there.

(source etsy.com)

Alright, we’re ready to go! You’ll need:

• 100g of dry ground coffee
• 50ml of olive oil
• 3tsps of sea salt

Tip the coffee grounds into a pan, add the olive oil and simmer on a very low heat for a few minutes to bind the two ingredients together. Whatever you do, don’t let it get too hot. Fried coffee isn’t anyone’s cup of tea.

Empty the warm coffee and olive oil mixture into a bowl, and add the sea salt. It should be a fairly thick paste that holds its shape and sticks when applied to your skin.

Bring your bowl to your bath or shower and wet your skin. Gently rub into your legs, belly and the backs of your arms in circular motions. If you’ve got harder skin on your knees, ankles and elbows, soften them by using a bit of the scrub on these areas too. If you’ve got the time, leave on your skin for at least five minutes. Rinse off thoroughly and pat your skin dry with a towel after.

Keep this up, and you should have noticeably smoother skin in no time!